2.1 Field of the Invention
Generally, the present invention relates to a system and method for multiple analyte detection. More particularly, multiple analytes are contained within a single sample and analyzed simultaneously using high-speed digital signal processing.
2.2 Description of Related Art
Disease analysis, research, and drug development depend heavily on laboratory assay analysis. An example of an assay that has become commonplace in today's laboratory is the immunoassay. Many other types of laboratory analyses are also conducted in today's laboratories, such as analysis on blood, urine, serum, blood plasma, and other body fluids for proteins, viruses, bacteria, and other conditions.
Traditionally, laboratory assay analyses were very time consuming processes, requiring lab personnel to perform precise measurements of reagents and samples, mixtures, centrifuging, etc. Each step of these analyses typically needs to be repeated multiple times to acquire statistically significant data. Furthermore, the processes are often wasteful of costly solvents, solutions, reagents, require numerous man-hours, and are generally slow. Accordingly, automated devices were envisioned and developed to quicken the process, generate more accurate results and make the process more economical and efficient. However, a drawback of these devices is that a limited number of analyses can be run on any given sample at any time. Therefore, much time is still required to analyze a sample for multiple analytes.
Accordingly, a system and method for testing multiple analytes, with little or no human intervention, from a single test sample would be highly desirable.